This is incredibly long, but I had to fit a lot of things in here. Enjoy ;)
Chapter 36 –Sandbox Wars
Four Months Later –Winter Season
With Kahina's permission, Xena trained her army for four long months. Proper supplies were gathered to travel to Tunis across the rolling dunes in the Sahara. Gabrielle helped Xena organize the men and taught them some Roman combat moves as well as some moves that she learned while living among the Huns for so long. These desert people had not warmed up to the idea of foreigners training them or living in the same area as them, but they obeyed their queen and kept quiet.
Gabrielle always heard stories about people traveling in the desert and getting lost or kidnapped. She thought those stories were just myths made up by her village, but now she saw the true side of the desert and the people in it. She overheard Kahina talk of several other tribes buried deep in the Sahara. She feared that they would stumble upon these tribes and there might be trouble along the journey to Tunis. Gabrielle began to feel as if they were never to reach Tunis as each day passed by.
She forgot how long she had been in this desolate place. She had no concept of time here and at times it felt freeing and other times she felt trapped. Kahina turned out to be very forgiving and even apologized for keeping them as prisoners for a short while. She had been locked away in the Aures Mountains with her tribe for so long. Gabrielle pondered how long the Berber Queen stayed hidden from the outside world. The queen probably had no idea what the real world looked like.
Then there was the matter about King Numeria, the husband of Kahina. She killed him but Gabrielle never got a straight answer from the woman or anyone else she asked regarding the murder of the Berber King. Perhaps, she thought, she was reading too much into it. And then there was Xena. The woman that no longer wanted to be a commander for her adopted people and culture. Gabrielle thought the idea was laughable considering Xena moved from being a commander for the Huns to a commander for the Berbers. Being a leader could never escape Xena no matter how much she tried.
Gabrielle sat inside of the tent that Kahina gifted to her and Xena. She waited patiently for Xena to return from training the men for the day. The sun had set many hours ago and yet Xena was still outside, talking to the soldiers. The poet turned consul then to warrior, decided to do something that she hadn't done in a long while and knew it would benefit them later when they returned to Pannonia. Whenever that time came.
Xena pushed aside the tent's flap and saw Gabrielle writing with an ink quill and torn parchment. She cocked her head, a bit amused by her partner's focused state. "Where did you salvage that?" she asked.
Surprised by her voice, Gabrielle gasped and hid the parchment. "I asked for it." She didn't want Xena to see what she was writing and Xena got the hint immediately. Her eyes watched Xena's every move and she scanned her tanned legs beneath the sheer pants she wore. Gabrielle bit her bottom lip and rolled up the parchment and hid it underneath a pile of rugs.
"You've been outside all day," she said and Xena hummed quietly as she poured some wine into two glasses. Gabrielle couldn't help but look at the small glimpse of the warrior's breast peeking out from the side of her semi-sheer blouse. "You changed your outfit. I'm surprised..."
Xena smirked and sat down on the rug. She handed off the wine to her consort and winked at her as she sipped the dark bitter alcohol. "I don't know if you noticed Gabrielle but, it's a little hot out here," she jested.
"Well, it looks nice," Gabrielle smiled and reached over, adjusting Xena's blouse to expose her chiseled collar bone. The two looked at one another for quite a few moments and Gabrielle felt her cheeks flushing. She quickly averted her gaze in order to remained focused. "So, are we leaving for Tunis anytime soon? I'm not really liking this desert lifestyle."
"You're in a hurry to get out of here aren't you?" Xena teased and Gabrielle scoffed. "We're leaving tomorrow morning. Kahina is throwing a party tonight in hopes that we will be victorious in the fight against her brother."
Gabrielle nodded and lifted her glass to that. "I hope that we can help her and these people, Xena. If we defeat Mustafa and get rid of the khat trades think of all the land Kahina will have!"
Xena chuckled lightly at her partner's enthusiasm. "Not if, Gabrielle, but when –when we destroy Mustafa." She said. "I don't want to see another piece of khat come into Pannonia ever again. This must be stopped. We'll do whatever it takes."
The blonde pursed her lips and set down the wine. She heard loud drums outside and people clapping, cheering and laughing together. As much as she liked parties, she'd rather stay inside the tent with Xena. Parties in the desert were a bit more wild than she expected, more than Pannonia.
"You know," she began, "when you said you didn't want to be a commander anymore..."
"Uh huh?" Xena furrowed her eyebrow, knowing where this was heading already.
"You're still a commander except it's for these desert people –these Berbers. I see the fire in your eyes when you command Kahina's soldiers. You love it and enjoy it. You can't escape your destiny, Xena so why do you keep running from it? You thought that leaving Pannonia was the key but you were just too upset that Anastasia took your place."
Xena interrupted, "she did not take my place."
"But she did and you can't let it go so you left and found some other army to command. Just because we're in a different land and embracing a new culture doesn't make your desire to be a commander different, Xena," she finished and saw her warrior's eyes narrow and wander the inside of the tent. "You know what I think?"
"What?" Xena answered tersely.
"You got bored of your life and sought out a new area to conquer. I remember when you told me you were going to take over the Hun empire and become the ruler. You fought against Attila and Rome at once. At that time you were bored too. You didn't want to stay in Pannonia anymore so we went to Troy. You're doing the same thing. Troy, Pannonia, Balaam, Tunis. It's all the same. Are you ever going to be happy, Xena? Are you?"
The raven haired commander took Gabrielle's word to heart and let them soak in. She thought that she could replace her old life with a new one. She wanted excitement. She longed for something new, but Gabrielle was right, she hated to admit it. She had grown tired of living in the same place for a long time, although she traveled to many places over the years, Pannonia was her home, her adopted home. She could never go back to Thrace. She'd been absent from her ancestral home for far too long now and her brothers now lived under Atlyn Hun occupation. Greece, Thrace, Pannonia, all the Hunnic tribes, Rome. They were known to her and everyone knew her. Here, in the Sahara, nobody knew her.
"I...am happy," the warrior finally answered. Her eyes lifted and she saw uncertainty sitting opposite her. "I'm happy when I'm with you. You are a part of me and wherever you go, I go. It doesn't matter where we are, I'll always feel at home when you're with me, Gabrielle."
These soft words that Xena spoke made Gabrielle's body warm inside. Although, such soft spoken words were rare from the commander, even after years of being together. Everything that they went through and all the people in their lives, Xena had a hard shell and it was tough to crack. Kreka always said that Xena was very stubborn and Gabrielle knew that all too well.
The khatun was a wise woman and the same age as Xena and though their relationship was strained at times, Kreka cared for Xena as a friend. Gabrielle had grown to like the cold Hun queen and admired her wisdom and advice. She always thought that Kreka and Xena were always somewhat at competition with one another and now Gabrielle understood why. Stubbornness.
"I'll love you no matter what, Xena. You know that. But I don't want you to keep lying to yourself. Follow your path as a warrior. Don't convince yourself that you won't ever be good enough because you'll always be good enough for me." Gabrielle beamed.
Xena's cheeks blushed and she waved her hand dismissively. "Still haven't lost your poetic touch I see." Her eyes traveled over to the parchment that was sticking out from beneath a pile of rugs. "What were you writing?"
Of course, always changing the subject, Gabrielle mused. "Maybe I'll show you when I'm finished," she teased.
"Maybe? So you're keeping secrets from me?" Xena got up and walked to the rugs. Gabrielle gasped and grabbed her ankle. "Come on, Gabrielle. I want to see!"
"No! It's not finished!" she begged. "Please. Wait until I'm finished?"
Xena sighed and saw the concern on her consort's face. "Alright. If it means that much to you," she chuckled and sat down on a pile of blankets. "We should rest for tomorrow's journey."
Gabrielle crawled across the rugs and lay down beside the warrior. "We don't have to go to sleep yet, do we?"
"Well," Xena began and saw the blonde bat her eyelashes at her. "I guess we could stay up awhile longer," she said and Gabrielle grinned. "But no funny business!" she warned.
"Of course not."
"I mean it, Gabrielle. I have to prepare myself for tomorrow." Xena relaxed on the pillows and crossed her ankles.
Anastasia waved her hand at the guards to open the door to Ebnedzar's cell inside the Adame. She walked into the cell and saw the eldest son of Attila sitting on the large rug inside the small room. He immediately stood up when he saw her, a mighty sight to see. Clad in black pants, corset and silver plated pauldron matching her silver vembraces and gauntlets.
She whispered inaudible words to the guards and the door was shut and locked behind her. Anastasia smiled at the eldest brother of her king and took off her fur lined helm and ruffled her hair. "I'm sure you've been going stir crazy in this room."
He refused to answer but stare blankly at her.
"What happened to your charismatic disposition?" she teased and she saw his lip quiver. "You are lucky that I gave you such a nice room. I'm sure we are feeding you well?"
"Yes," he said curtly. He did not wish to make small talk with her. He watched her waltz around the room as if she had never been in here before.
She let out a deep exhale and turned around, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I should have you know that I have conquered the Atlyn Huns, Onogurs and Akitziris. I will make a campaign in the north with my old friends, the White Huns."
"And you're telling me this why?" he crossed his arms, not the least bit amused.
"Because Ebnedzar, I made some time during my raids to travel to Suevi. I brought back your family," she said and his face paled. Anastasia smiled when she saw the realization on his face. "Oh yes I did. What a nice family you have. You didn't mention you had a son. He looks to be about my son's age."
He huffed and uncrossed his arms. "You will not lay a hand on my son, Anastasia. You promised to let me go if my story checked out. I've been locked away in here for months and now you have my family hostage!"
She smiled and stepped closer to him, looking into his fiery dark eyes. "Do you think I'm a savage? I would never hurt a child, Ebnedzar. Your family is my family. Don't you worry, I put them in the guest quarters in this Adame. They are being well taken care of."
He relaxed his shoulders and felt a sense of relief overcome him. "And what now? Are you going to let me go?"
"Oh yeah I'll let you go." She said and clapped her hands together. Guards walked inside the room and threw down a box in front of the prisoner. "Open it," she urged him.
Hesitantly, Ebnedzar knelt down and opened the lid of the box and cringed. The head of the Bey of Suevi stared right back at him. Blood all over the man's face and hair mangled. He felt sick from the stench and wondered how long the Bey's head had been rotting in this box. Quickly, he closed the box and stood upright.
"Now, your land belongs to me and there will be no more deals with Odoacer anymore. Do I make myself clear?" she said, narrowing her eyes. He lifted his chin and said nothing in response. This satisfied the commander and she smiled cheekily. "Good."
She turned and walked out of the room. He gasped and ran after her. "Wait! I thought you said I was to be let go? I didn't lie about my family. I gave you all the information about the khat trades and Mustafa. You are a woman of your word, aren't you?"
Ana frowned. "Of course I am, but it is not up to me to let you out of this cell. Ellac is in charge of you now. Your fate rests in his hands. Good night," she smiled and sauntered off after the door was closed and locked.
Leila sat on the floor, holding almost two year old Arielle in her lap. She smiled down at the child and ran her fingers through the girl's raven curly hair, whispering in her ear. Arielle continued to play with the wooden toys that Csaba gave her a few months ago.
The doors opened and Anastasia walked inside, exhaling deeply and threw her sword onto a couch and tossed her fur hat on a chair. A smile came to her when she finally lay eyes on her daughter. She sat on the floor and Arielle immediately turned when she saw her mother. Anastasia held out her arms and her daughter walked over to her clumsily.
She grabbed her daughter and kissed her cheek softly. She tried fixing her daughter's curly hair and grunted. "This unruly hair of hers," she muttered.
"Perhaps she gets it from Navaz's side of the family," Leila said and Ana shot her a glare. "I mean, since you and your mother have straight hair. I was just guessing..." she trailed off and awkwardly adjusted the blue veil on her head.
Ana chose to ignore Leila's statement and smiled at her daughter. She held Arielle in her lap and eyed Leila fixing her dress. "I have sent word to Balaam about our next mission." She stated and Leila lifted her head. "I have to send Dengi to Balaam to meet with Navaz." She saw the disappointment on Leila's sweet face. "I'll make sure he is back in plenty of time before your baby arrives."
Leila smiled softly, happy to hear that. She wrapped her arm around her belly and sighed deeply. "I hardly get to see Dengizich. He is always busy doing military work for you."
Anastasia frowned sadly and Arielle grabbed onto her long hair, giving it a firm yank. She grasped her daughter's hand and gave her a toy to play with instead. "I know and I'm sorry about that, Leila. I'm going to give all his workload to Ernak when he returns from Balaam so he can spend time with you."
"That's very kind of –"
Ellac barged into the room and Ana looked over her shoulder. He saw Leila about to get up and leave so he raised his hand. "No need to get up, Leila," he said and she sat back down on the floor, relieved that she didn't have to get up and hurry out of the room. "Ana, I need to talk to you about Ebnedzar."
"What about him? I told him that I brought his family here."
The king nodded. "Yes, indeed you did," he pursed his lips.
"Are you sure you don't want me to leave?" Leila interrupted. She felt like she was just in the way and these two were talking about confidential information.
He smiled at the princess and wife of his brother. "No, it's alright." His smile disappeared when he gazed down at his obstinate queen. "You didn't tell me that you were housing all of them in our home. They're are taking up the entire guest quarters."
"Well, he has a wife and son," she lamented and held Arielle close to her, ignoring her fiancé's harsh glare from above.
"No, Anastasia! He has three children and two wives! My brother is a fahise."
Ana grimaced up at him and covered her daughter's ears. "Ellac!" she reprimanded and he pinched the bridge of nose. "So, what's the big deal? I made a promise that I'd bring his family here. We are building a new section of the Adame anyway."
Leila frowned. "You are?" she said and Ellac shot her a glare. She immediately turned away and looked around for something to do.
"That project won't be finished until spring." He said and his queen remained silent. "Did you talk to the Bey of Suevi?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I took care of it," she answered curtly.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Anastasia frowned deeply. "I said, I took care of it," she hissed. "Where is Csaba?"
"Don't change the subject. What did the Bey say about the deal he made with Odoacer? Who else is involved besides my brother?"
She groaned and set Arielle down on the rug and stood. "The khat warehouse was burned in Suevi. I made sure that all the men involved were dealt with. I left some of our men on the coast to watch for Carthaginian ships. There will be no more khat coming into Suevi. I'm sure Odoacer will find out about this very soon. I left Ebnedzar's fate up to you. I kept my end of the deal."
Ellac scoffed. "What am I supposed to do with him?!"
"That should be simple, sevgili," she stepped closer and ran her fingers through his silky dark long hair with a mischievous grin. "Either you kill him or pardon him. Your choice."
The Berber army trotted through the sand dunes of the Sahara for three days now. Kahina lead her people in the front line with Xena and Gabrielle on either side of her. They stopped to camp once along the way but otherwise, they embraced the sandstorms that came during certain times a day every day and continued on with their mission. Kahina was more than determined to reach Tunis now that the plan was actually falling through.
She couldn't wait to be rid of her brother and his drug trade that was beginning to spread in other parts of the world. She couldn't believe that this Hun woman and her Greek companion had traveled so far. The khat came to Greece and Hun territories. This not only surprised Kahina but also enraged her to know that her younger brother would go to such great lengths to achieve his goals of creating a new empire.
They tread through the hot desert and Xena had her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. Although, it was very difficult for anyone to hide in this desolate red sea of sand. The dunes gradually drifted as the day went on and the wind carried bits of sharp sand through the air. All the soldiers wore scarves over their faces and lined their eyes with kohl for protection.
Over a large sand dune there was a gust of wind that engulfed the entire desert. Air filled with the sandy debris and Kahina halted her trim horse. Xena stopped as well and Gabrielle raised her hand to signal to the soldiers that the queen had stopped.
"Another sandstorm?" Gabrielle said. She didn't want to brace herself for yet another storm. Last night's storm was bad enough. It even blew away some of their tents.
Kahina narrowed her kohl lined eyes. "No."
"It's too early in the day for a storm," Xena interjected. She looked beyond the hilly sand dunes and heard whistling noises from afar. "We're under attack!" she yelled and kicked her horse, riding off.
An arrow pierced one of the front soldiers and Kahina gasped. Another arrow and then another. Left and right her men were falling off their horses. She grabbed the reins and trotted off in the opposite direction of Xena.
"Form the first fleet!" the queen shouted. Gabrielle rode in the direction of Kahina and watched as Xena commanded the men with ease. They followed her as if she were one of them –as if she were a Berber woman herself.
Together, the queen and Gabrielle rode to the back fleet of the army. Kahina looked ahead and saw a rain of black arrows fill the sky and watched her men scatter in horror. Xena was heading towards the hill with a third of the men by herself.
"I do not understand," Kahina said. She worriedly looked at the defeated army in front of her and wondered how this was possible. "My brother knows nothing. We are ambushed."
Gabrielle frowned and slipped the scarf off her face. "Obviously he found out. You might have a mole in your tribe, your majesty."
"Mole?" the queen questioned the unfamiliar term.
"A spy. There's no way Mustafa could have known we were coming unless someone in your tribe told him." Gabrielle watched the sand engulf the army and Xena couldn't be seen from afar anymore. She vanished in the thick smog.
The raven haired Berber Queen nodded affirmatively. "I find this spy and I will kill him."
"Assuming that he's still alive," Gabrielle said. "Send in the second fleet. I'm going to the front line to help the defense!" she trotted down the rolling sand dunes. The horse hooves sunk into the heavy hot sand which slowed her down immensely.
Over the hill, Xena jumped off her horse and struck down a black robed soldier that almost drove his sword into her back. She kicked the man away from her and he rolled down the sand hill. She felt a hand grip her ankle and she snarled.
"Deserts," she grumbled and grabbed the man hidden underneath her. She thrust her sword into his thigh and he screamed in agony. In the midst of the fighting she clutched his throat and looked into his frightened black eyes.
Uncovering the soldier's face, she saw his face was quite young. Maybe a few years older than her own grandson. "You're...you're just a boy," she said and threw him onto the ground while her sword stuck straight out of his wounded thigh. "Who sent this ambush? Was it Mustafa?"
The young soldier frowned and tried crawling away. She drew the sword from his leg and he cringed, trying to hold in the pain. She stomped onto his hand. "Listen, boy, I'm not going to kill you."
"Do it! Give me an honorable death!" he said, glaring up at her.
Xena frowned and sheathed her sword. "I don't murder children." She grabbed hold of his arm and aided him to his feet. He pushed her away and tried to run. "Stupid boy," she mumbled. She unraveled the whip from her belt and flung it at the boy. The whip wrapped around his ankles and she gave a tight yank and he fell face first into the hot sands.
She walked over to him and pulled up out of the sand before it completely covered his body. She threw him onto her horse and climbed aboard.
Gabrielle held the defense against the desert intruders. She snarled when one of the men stabbed her in the leg. She swirled around and thrust her saber into the man's chest. Breathing heavily, she kicked him down and lifted her eyes to see Xena riding back with a man on the back of her horse.
Cringing at the stinging wound, she looked down and saw a huge gash on her calf and her pants ripped open from her knee down to her ankle. Kahina rode up to the front line and saw almost a third of her army was either dead or wounded.
Xena halted her horse and ripped the scarf off her head. "Call a retreat!" she ordered.
"But we almost have them!" Kahina said.
"I said. Call a retreat! We are losing! You will lose half of your men! Do it!" she yelled and Kahina grunted then trotted off, yelling at her men in her native tongue to fall back just like Xena said to do. The boy draped over Xena's horse fell unconscious due to the pain in his leg.
Xena looked down and saw Gabrielle's wounded leg. "You're bleeding."
Gabrielle shook her head when she saw the concern in her partner's eyes. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." she hobbled over to her horse and bit her tongue as she swung her injured leg over the saddle. "Who's he?"
The commander's eyes lingered on the blonde's wound but chose to ignore it for now. She would have to treat that later. "He's a boy who thinks he's a man. I'm taking him with us so I can question him."
Inside the queen's tent, Xena cleaned Gabrielle's wound as best as she could. With little water they had, she had to be careful of how much she used and what she used it for. She couldn't allow Gabrielle's wound to be infected. Although, there was no water in this desolate land at all.
Xena dabbed Gabrielle's wound carefully and felt her consort twitch. "You should have been more careful."
Gabrielle frowned. "I was a little busy with something else. You know, commanding the defense line. Like we talked about?"
"Always be aware of your surroundings," Xena said calmly as she washed her hands with a damp cloth and then grabbed a needle to sew up her partner's gash on her leg. "You know better, Gabrielle."
The desert boy awoke and frantically tried to get out of the ropes. His ankles and wrists were bound like a stuffed pig. Xena smirked when she saw the boy squirming to get free from the hold she put him in. "You're finally awake," she mused.
He still tried to set himself free and Xena remained focused on Gabrielle's gash. "It's pointless. You can't break free from those ropes. I made sure of that." She chuckled and dug the needle in Gabrielle's skin. "Now, you're going to tell us everything about that ambush back there."
"Hamara!" he hissed.
Xena raised an eyebrow. "I am not familiar with your language but I take it that wasn't a very nice word," she smiled. "You are too young to be in an army, boy. I brought you here for a reason. I won't kill you and neither will the Queen."
"Kahina is a piece of goat shit. She can rot in hell for all I care!" the boy spat.
"He's got a dirty mouth," Gabrielle muttered.
"Indeed he does." Xena turned and saw the boy's eyes on her, watching her like a hawk. "You got a name?"
He huffed. "Pasha," he said finally.
She nodded. "Pasha. My name is Xena. I'm from Pannonia."
His eyes widened. "You are a Hun."
She smiled, "you seem surprised." She dug the needle into Gabrielle's skin carefully while she spoke to the boy. "Listen, this man you're working for, Mustafa, he is not a good person. He is the queen's brother. His khat trade has entered my land and I came here to put an end to it and you're going to tell me everything about the khat trade. Understand?"
"And what if I don't?"
She turned and frowned deeply at the naive boy. "I have ways of making people talk. You can make this as difficult as you want, but if you cooperate then it'll be painless. So what's it going to be, Pasha?"
He gave up on trying to escape as that plan was foiled. He saw Kahina enter the tent and she tossed her turban onto the floor. His eyes widened in fear seeing her for the first time. He scooted away when he saw her unsheathe her saber.
Xena sighed and rose to her feet. She grabbed the queen's arm firmly. "You can't kill him. We need him!"
"You are not queen, Xena!" Kahina spat. "Step aside!"
"He has information that he wants to give us!" Xena whipped her head around to the frightened boy. "Don't you, Pasha?"
He nodded fearfully and then Kahina sheathed her saber and sat down on the rug, glaring at the boy from afar. Xena exhaled in relief and went back to tending Gabrielle's wound. She began, "why don't you tell us about how Mustafa knew that we were coming to attack?"
Ellac walked into the queen's quarters and Kreka lifted her eyes briefly. He awkwardly approached her and she sat on the floor, sewing and keeping to herself. "Can I talk to you?" he asked.
The khatun smiled and nodded, continuing sewing. He sat down opposite of her and he looked at the gold and dark blue gown resting in her lap. The needle gently brazed the fabric as she remained in a constant pattern, refusing to stop.
"Is that Leila's dress?" he asked.
"Yes." She said and then looked into his green eyes filled with worry and concern. "What is on your mind? I'm sure you didn't come in here to watch me sew your sister in law's dress," she jested.
He sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do with Ebnedzar. Anastasia gave me an ultimatum –pardon him or execute him for his crimes. She put me in a tough situation. She brought his entire family to live under my roof. If I don't kill him then I appear weak but if I do kill him then I may appear like I'm a monster. He is my brother."
Kreka frowned. "You do not know him. He has come into your life against the will of the gods. He has brought nothing but destruction and chaos since he arrived."
He now felt more confused than he did before he came in this room. "So I should kill him then?"
"Anastasia gave you the choice and she expects you to make the right one, but the trick is...how do you know which is right and which is wrong?" she lowered the gown and stared at her stepson seriously. "Ebnedzar is your brother and son of Attila. You have the same father but you have different mothers. You two share the same blood that courses through your veins. Anastasia may be your queen and your commander, but you have the final say."
Ellac groaned and dug his fingernails into his hair. "You aren't helping, Kreka. I need you to help me make the right decision."
She went back to her sewing. "I can't make that decision for you, Ellac. Your brother has a family of his own and though I'm not very fond of him myself, you have the right to kill him just as your father did to his brother. There is always another way, you just have to figure it out by yourself."
The king ran his hand across his face and stared at the wall. He didn't want to kill his older brother, even though he had caused so much mayhem in his kingdom. His family lived here and Anastasia gave him two options but Kreka hinted that there is a third way to go about this problem. Ebnedzar had three sons and two wives. His family was no less important than the royal family inside this Adame. Ellac rubbed his chin as he pondered in deep thought.
He didn't want to rob his brother's children of having a father. Csaba grew up without a father through most of his life. He didn't want Ebnedzar's children to find their father executed publically on display. He needed to find a different way to deal with this issue.
He rose from the floor and Kreka stopped sewing. "I know what to do," he said and she arched her eyebrow. "Thank you. You've been a great help." He smiled and bent down, kissing her veiled head.
She smiled faintly and watched him walk towards the doors. "Ellac."
"Yes?" he turned at her voice.
"I trust you will make the right choice," she said and he nodded then left the room. She wagged her head and continued sewing Leila's dress in silence.
"So, a message was sent to him by a falcon?" Xena said and Pasha nodded. "Someone from this tribe?" she asked and he nodded once more. "Do you know the name of this person?"
Pasha stuttered, "n –no...I just know that Mustafa got the message a month ago. He –he had his entire army rounded up from around Tunis to attack Kahina. He said he wants her wiped out."
"What about the khat trades?" Gabrielle asked.
"He...he sent out a ship last night to Corinth. The traders collect the money from the buyers and return to Tunis with the coin."
Xena nodded. "And what does he do with the money?"
Pasha felt sweat dripping down his forehead and her intense stare wasn't helping. "The money is distributed to Chieftains in Arabia. He wants to expand the khat empire and Arabia has a lot of vacant space to plant the khat seeds."
Gabrielle huffed and folded her arms. She gazed at the irate Berber woman sitting across from her as she drank her wine furiously. "So the trading doesn't stop in Tunis. It's in Arabia too. What are we going to do now?"
"We'll go to Arabia next after we get rid of Mustafa." Xena said.
Kahina laughed aloud and Xena shot her a glare. "I do not know if you are stupid or brave, Hun woman. You travel across sands to help me destroy my brother and then...you want to travel to more sand territories!" she smiled. "I will not follow you to Arabia."
"You don't have to. Gabrielle and I will go alone." She said and Gabrielle's eyes enlarged at that news.
The queen shook her head. "I send some men with you. You really are stupid, Hun woman." She chuckled. "But I like you. She is ambitious, no?" she directed her question to Pasha.
His eyes turned towards the fierce Hun warrior and the blonde that lay on the floor beside him. "Mustafa says that Huns are worms that eat goat feces."
Gabrielle cringed and Xena pursed her lips. "Wonderful imagery," she smiled and relaxed against a pile of pillows. "Tomorrow we continue riding towards the hill at dawn. His troops will not attack us during a sandstorm."
"We're going to ride through a storm? Xena, are you insane?" Gabrielle chided.
"See? She is stupid, no?" Kahina snickered.
Xena rolled her eyes and then focused on the lonely desert boy. "Kahina, you will keep Pasha in your tribe. He doesn't need to be around more corruption. He is very young and should not be in the military."
Pasha gasped. "I do not want to stay here with her!" he growled at the Berber Queen.
"He is ungrateful," Kahina mused. "I keep you here with me, Pasha. Not a lot of children in my tribe anymore. Many die of disease and famines in the Aures Mountains."
"I'm not a child!" he spat.
"Yes you are," Xena interrupted. He shot her a glare then she smiled faintly. He grumpily turned away and faced the tent's wall. "You don't belong in the battlefield, Pasha. I've never put children in my army back in Pannonia. You should be doing something else. Don't waste your childhood following a sword."
Gabrielle smirked listening to Xena's words. Always a mother. Always a commander. Doesn't matter where they went, Xena was the same person that she continued to deny. "So, what is the plan once we reach Tunis? Are we going to capture Mustafa? We can't stop the khat trades in Tunis."
Xena smiled. "Glad you asked. Kahina will be in charge of Tunis and take her brother's place. She deserves that much. Right?"
Kahina blinked and cast a confused look at the Hun warrior. "You give Tunis to me? After everything you are doing, you should be in charge, not me."
"I don't belong here, Kahina. The desert is not for me, but Gabrielle and I will go to Arabia to stop the khat trade so it won't spread to other areas."
At dawn the Berber army braced the harsh winds of the sandstorm. Each person on foot was to hold onto the rope tied to the horsemen in front of them as they walked. Xena lead the front of the army as did Kahina and Gabrielle a few paces behind her. The desert was a harsh area to live in and it was much worse than the winters in Balaam. Xena would rather be trapped in a blizzard than a sandstorm any day.
As they tread over the hill where Mustafa's troops attacked, Xena couldn't see anything a foot in front of her. She didn't think that the army would be stationed here anymore and if they were, they were hiding somewhere. The horse she rode began to panic and turn back, but she pressed on, forcing the animal to ride through the thick fog.
Although the storms never lasted longer than half an hour, it felt like a lifetime, especially when everyone was in the thick of it. Xena's horse wouldn't go any further and she was able to see a bit more clearly now as the storm dissipated. No horses, no men, no tents. Mustafa's army was long gone. She suspected that they left in the middle of the night so they wouldn't be caught in the storm. They probably didn't even bother to make camp for the evening after that little surprise attack.
Once the coast was clear, the army pressed on and walked through sand dunes of the Sahara to reach Tunis. Traveling for days in the desert was not Gabrielle's strong suit. She had completely forgotten about her wound at this point. The sun beaming down on her face was no help and no matter how many layers of clothes she took off, the hotter it felt. Xena continued leading the army across the sand dunes. Hours later the army finally reached a point of the desert that was flat and less windy. In fact, there was little to no wind in this desert. We must have crossed the worst part of the Sahara, Xena thought.
Not far from where the army was, Xena saw stone buildings in the center of the desolate flat desert planes. The heat waves clouded her vision and the buildings seemed to move the longer she stared. She began to feel as if she was looking at a mirage and needed clarification.
Kahina trotted close to Xena's horse and removed her scarf from her face. "Tunis ahead," she said. Xena nodded, now relieved that she wasn't seeing things.
"We should go in on foot from here. It doesn't look like a far walk from here," Xena advised and dismounted the horse. She turned to Gabrielle whom was sweating profusely. "Can you walk, Gabrielle?" the blonde nodded in response. "Good because I'm going to need your negotiating skills." She smiled smugly.
Kahina stayed behind in the barren desert with her army while Xena, Gabrielle and Pasha approached the gates of the city, Tunis. The three stood behind a large palm tree hiding from the guards posted at the large doors that entered the city. Bells sounded throughout the city and a man sung from a tower. A soft melodious voice that carried loudly throughout Tunis.
Xena frowned and saw the man up in the tower, singing. The guards took off their black turbans and hung their heads. Gabrielle was busy wrapping her blonde locks and covering her face. She didn't want to stick out in a place like this. Foreigners were not liked here, obviously.
"What is going on?" Xena whispered.
Pasha crouched down and listened to the man. "That's the muezzin. He is reciting the prayer. Everyone stops all activities and prays inside the city."
She nodded. This was the perfect time to enter the city. Everyone would be so preoccupied with their prayers to notice anything out the ordinary. "Alright, Gabrielle. You and Pasha will go up to the gates together. I will find another way inside." She instructed.
Gabrielle frowned and fixed the scarf around her face, making sure none of her golden hair was visible. "What are you going to do when you're inside?"
"Let me worry about that," Xena whispered. "Okay, go!" she pushed Gabrielle forward and Pasha followed behind. Xena waited behind the palm tree and her eyes scanned the area to make sure there were no other guards nearby.
Pasha and Gabrielle approached the large doors and the guards immediately put their turbans back on and raised their javelins to the foreigners. Pasha smiled at the two men and Gabrielle kept her eyes focused on the tower above her. The muezzin was still singing melodiously. The more she stayed in this desert land, the more strange it became.
"Marhaba," Pasha greeted and the guards were not kind enough to return the greeting. "My cousin and I are travelers from Maghreb. We have come to Tunis to stay for awhile until we continue to our journey to Arabia."
One of the guards lowered his javelin. "Why are you traveling to Tunis? Do you have papers with you?"
Pasha's smile almost slipped and Gabrielle hid her face from the on looking guard that kept gawking at her. "I'm afraid that our papers were lost in the sandstorm earlier this morning. We lost all of our food and water along the way here. My cousin is injured. Surely you wouldn't let a woman suffer, respected sir." He put on his best charming smile and the guards mumbled to each other.
Gabrielle narrowed her eyes and saw Xena climbing the wall. She then heard horses approaching and swiftly turned her head. "Romans," she whispered. Pasha turned at her voice and saw Roman soldiers riding to the entrance of the gates.
The guards immediately stood straight and lifted their chins at the sight of the Romans. The elite Roman officer trotted in front of the travelers and snarled at them. Gabrielle frowned and hid behind Pasha, examining the Roman officer. If only she could kill them right here, right now, but she couldn't. Stick to the plan like Xena said. Her eyes leered over and she saw that Xena had made it into the city undetected.
"The emperor sent us here to tell you that Huns have invaded the port for trading khat," the Roman announced.
Gabrielle smiled smugly when she heard that. Ellac and Anastasia must be doing a lot of work since she and Xena left. She knew that Ana would make a good commander, despite Xena's disapproval.
"Open the gates. We wish to speak to your king," the Roman said. The two Tunisian guards opened the doors to the city. Pasha looked from behind the slew of Romans and Gabrielle indistinctively marched towards the doors.
"Gabrielle!" he hissed. "No!" he ran after her and Gabrielle slipped into the city hiding behind the Roman horses. Pasha grabbed her hand and she pulled him with her.
Once inside, the two allowed the Romans to pass. Gabrielle ripped the scarf off her face and could breathe easier now. Xena grabbed her arm and Pasha's, pulling them into an alleyway. "What are you doing? I thought I told you to come in when the guards said so!"
"No time, Xena. Romans are here to see Mustafa. I don't know what Ellac and Ana are doing but the trading port in Suevi is blocked and guarded by Huns. I overheard the Roman officer say so. We should follow them," Gabrielle's eyes grew with excitement.
Xena groaned. "No. We aren't going to follow them. Pasha is going to tell us where Mustafa is. We'll wait for the Romans to leave and then strike."
"You mean you're going to send me in to talk to Mustafa alone," Gabrielle corrected and Xena cast her a cheeky chagrin.
The Roman officer walked into Mustafa's large palace in the center of the city. He removed his helm and bowed his head to the Carthaginian leader. Mustafa sat in a large chair, observing the tall Roman at his disposal. With a quick whiff of his hand, the servants were dismissed as were the other guards inside the chamber.
The dark haired khat lord rose from his chair with a large smile on his face. "Persepus, what brings you to Tunis?"
"My emperor has word from the Suevi port, sir," he said and Mustafa waved his hand to allow Persepus continue. "The Huns have blockaded the trading port and burned all of the khat warehouses."
Mustafa growled and balled his fist. "Huns. They are the scourge of god. Tell me, is Xena still in charge of the Hun army? I long to see her head on a pike."
Persepus lowered his eyes. "No, she is not. Another woman is the king's commander now. She has acted quickly and has a large campaign in all Hun territories. The emperor is working to form an army with Persia and attack the Hun nation by next summer."
"I don't care about the Roman wars with the Huns!" Mustafa yelled and the Roman officer flinched. "As long as my trade continues I don't care if your emperor destroys the Huns or not. I care not for politics." He sighed and sat back down in the chair, slumping down, feeling somewhat defeated. "My sister wages war against me. I do not know what has possessed her to do something so idiotic. I will get rid of her tribal army by the end of the winter season."
The officer nodded. "Of course. I will return to my post in the Maghreb and inform the emperor that my message was relayed to you." He bowed his head and put on his helm, then stormed out of the royal chamber.
Moments later just when Mustafa was to relax in peace the doors swung open again. He rolled his eyes and one of his trusted men came inside. "You have an emissary from Greece. She wants to speak to you about the khat trades."
"She?" he rose from his chair to see this emissary.
Gabrielle walked into the room and kept her blonde hair hidden underneath the white turban. She couldn't help think this was a terrible idea. Xena was inside the large palace already and she told Gabrielle to talk to Mustafa and find out any information that she could. At this moment, Gabrielle knew that Mustafa was not keen on this impromptu meeting and he looked unwilling to talk to a woman.
"Hello. My name is...Kassandra," she said with a false smile.
Mustafa walked forward and folded his arms. His eyes scanned her concealed body with white robes. "Greek woman comes into Tunis. What can I do for you?"
"Well, I wanted to know if you could expand your khat trades into...say...Athens? I hear the Corinthians are thriving under your trades." She looked over to the left and saw a huge balcony overlooking the ocean. How she wished she could just leave this place on a ship and go back home.
He chuckled and wagged his finger. "You Greeks are so greedy. I want this, I want that. You never stop." He sat down once more and crossed his ankles. "I like you people. Nothing like my people in Aures."
Gabrielle smiled tightly and laced her fingers together, wishing Xena would come in at any moment now. "We can be ambitious." She played along. "I think you would benefit from trading in Athens. The city is much larger and we have access to multiple ports. Corinth has a small sea and little access to the Mediterranean."
"Perhaps you are right, Miss Kassandra. Maybe I should expand my trades into Athens, but I've run into a small problem that will be fixed shortly." He sighed heavily.
She nodded, keeping quiet. She noticed his thick accent was the same as Kahina's but his grammar was far better than his sister's. He must have been in Tunis a long time and somehow educated himself. A knock came to the door and she let a small smile slip.
"Enter," he called out.
Xena swung open the doors and drug in a dead Tunisian man and threw him across the floor. Mustafa instantly leapt from his chair and grabbed a saber on the table. She pointed her sword at him. "What did you find out?"
"Nothing, really," Gabrielle whispered.
"What is going on? Who are you women?" Mustafa gripped the saber tightly as he nervously stared at them.
Xena cast him a wicked smile. "Xena, former commander of Attila and Pannonia, ally of Kahina." She winked and his eyes widened. "That's right, Mustafa. Your khat trades have been halted by my daughter in Suevi and you won't be making any more trade deals with Rome or my people any longer."
"You are the one who raised an attack against me! I knew my sister wasn't brave or smart enough to wage war against me," he smiled deviously.
Xena's smile faded. "Gabrielle, go outside. Kahina is waiting for you," she instructed and Gabrielle ran out of the room. "Your sister is a nice woman, Mustafa. She doesn't want you to continue this khat trade. I offered to help her stop you and that's what I'm here to do."
"So you came here to kill me," he stated.
"No." she sheathed her sword. "I'm going to leave that up to your sister. I've done what I came to do. This is between you and Kahina." Just then a group of Kahina's soldiers came into the room and Mustafa lowered his saber. His guards were dead or defeated by now. He had nowhere to run or hide. He dropped his saber and his sister soldiers ran over and tied him up.
"Don't think this will stop my khat trades, Xena." He grunted as he was being pushed out of the throne chamber.
She adjusted her gauntlets and sighed. "Don't worry, Mustafa, I have plans for your khat empire." She cast him a smile.
After he was escorted out of his palace Gabrielle walked back into the room and Xena turned around, surprised to see her. "You didn't kill him," she said and Xena exhaled deeply. "I'm proud of you."
"Don't get all soft on me, Gabrielle. This is Kahina's fight, not mine. I thought I told you to go outside..."
"Since when do I listen to you anyway?" the blonde grinned.
Xena rolled her eyes and wrapped her arm around Gabrielle. Together they waltzed out of the large palace. "Off to Arabia then?"
Ellac entered the room that held his brother. Ebnedzar saw sight of him and rose off the floor. The king held up his hand to the guards behind him and the door remained open. "I'm going to give you two options, Ebnedzar."
"You haven't come here to kill me?" the elder brother said, a bit confused.
Ellac shook his head. "No. Either you stay here and become part of my council or you leave and never show your face in Pannonia again. If you stay here your family will live in the Adame with my family. They will be well taken care of. If you choose to leave, you will be exiled from all the Hun tribes."
"You...would give me the option to stay here?" he couldn't believe his younger brother and his kind gesture. He'd rather die than be exiled.
"That's right. You can stay here and be a part of my council. What's it going to be?"
Ebnedzar sighed and lowered his eyes. "Even after what I've done to your people?"
"That will be forgiven if you decide to stay." Ellac said and saw his older brother smile softly.
Anastasia laid down in the king's bed waiting for Ellac after a long day. She was writing her plans for allying with Navaz and the rest of the White Huns. She and Navaz had written letters back and forth over the last year concerning Arielle and when she was to spend time in Balaam. Anastasia thought that next year when Arielle was three, it would be a lot easier to send her to Balaam for awhile. Arielle was not only a princess of Balaam but also a princess of Pannonia as long as Anastasia remained queen.
In the middle of a sentence she was writing, Ellac walked into the room and threw his sword onto the table. She smiled and set her work aside to give her full attention to him. She crawled across the bed and took off his armor and let it fall to the ground. She witnessed such change in him over the last year and wished she could alleviate some of the stress on his shoulders.
She slipped his tunic off and rose to her knees then wrapped her arms around his neck. "How was the meeting with Ebnedzar? What did you decide his fate would be?" she asked.
The king sighed. "I told him he could stay here and be a part of the council or be exiled from the nation."
"And?" she moved in closer, pressing her body against his.
"He chose to stay," he finally smiled and she pecked his lips gently.
"I'm glad you didn't kill him. Who knows? Maybe he will be a good asset to us?" she said slyly and he grabbed her waist. "I'm sending Dengi to Balaam to talk with Navaz about our alliance and invasion of Persia."
His eyes widened. "Invasion of Persia? You've been busy..."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Just doing what I think is right. I promised Leila that Dengi will return before she gives birth in the spring."
Ellac smirked. "That was very considerate of you. My father wasn't even present when both of my brothers were born. If I recall...he was off on a raid with...your mother." He raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes. "Has she wrote you at all?"
Anastasia regrettably shook her head. "No, she hasn't. I'm sure she's having a lot of adventures in Africa. You know how she is."
Next: we go to Arabia!